# Lee Min-jung

Lee Min-jung (Korean: 이민정; born February 16, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She began her career in Jang Jin's stage plays, and for a few years appeared in supporting roles on film and television. She became known after her appearance in Boys Over Flowers (2009), and landed her first lead role in family drama Smile, You (2009). She achieved widespread recognition for her leading role in the romantic comedy Cyrano Agency (2010). She also starred in Wonderful Radio (2012), Big (2012), Cunning Single Lady (2014), and Come Back Mister (2016). In 2020, she starred and gained recognition in the KBS weekend drama, Once Again.

## Career

Lee began her career in playwright/filmmaker Jang Jin's stage plays, then appeared in the Christian-themed indie Pruning the Grapevine, while doing minor roles on film and television. She became a household name in 2009 through her supporting role in the popular high school series Boys Over Flowers, which then landed her first leading role in the weekend drama Smile, You. The same year, she won the Best New Actress award at the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards for her performance in the mystery thriller White Night.
Lee's breakout role was in romantic comedy Cyrano Agency in 2010, where she swept Best New Actress awards at various local award-giving bodies.
Commercials and endorsements flooded in, and Lee gained a "goddess" label in the press. One of the challenges of her next film Wonderful Radio, was to strip her of that image. She successfully carried the film, with one review praising her as "expertly swinging from girly ditz, through self-centered pop diva (with memorable temper tantrums), to serious singer-songwriter." Co-star Lee Jung-jin said her actual personality is similar to the character's - "really upbeat and outgoing."
After playing a disillusioned fiancée to an ambitious fund manager in Midas, Lee returned to the romantic comedy genre in the body-swapping TV series Big written by the Hong sisters. In 2013 she starred in another rom-com series All About My Romance, about a secret relationship between two politicians of rival parties. This was followed by Cunning Single Lady in 2014, in which she played the titular character who schemes to win her ex-husband back now that he's rich and successful.
Lee made her acting comeback after three years in the SBS drama Come Back Mister with Rain. The series began airing in February 2016, and Lee won positive reviews for her performance.
In 2018, Lee returned with a SBS weekend drama Fates & Furies. She re-united with her former co-star Joo Sang-wook from Cunning Single Lady as main leads. In 2020, Lee gained widespread recognition portraying the role of Song Na-hee alongside actor Lee Sang-yeob in the weekend drama, Once Again.

## Personal life

Her maternal grandfather was renowned painter Park No-soo, who led the first generation of modern traditional Korean ink painters which emerged after the country's liberation from Japanese rule. Park died on February 25, 2013, at the age of 86.
Lee married actor Lee Byung-hun on August 10, 2013, at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. The couple had briefly dated in 2006, then resumed their relationship in 2012. She gave birth to their first child, Lee Joon-hoo, a boy, on March 31, 2015. On August 4, 2023, it was confirmed that she was expecting her second child. She gave birth to her second child, a daughter, on December 21, 2023.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1999 | The Gate of Destiny | Icarus member |
| 2003 | Wishing Stairs | Jin-sung's ballet dance double |
| 2004 | Someone Special | Yi-yeon's friend |
| 2005 | Wet Dreams 2 | Second year student #3 |
| 2006 | Moodori | Yoon-hee |
| 2007 | Pruning the Grapevine | Yoon Soo-ah / Helena |
| 2009 | Searching for the Elephant | Soo-yeon |
| 2009 | White Night | Lee Si-yeong |
| 2010 | Cyrano Agency | Kim Hee-joong |
| 2012 | Wonderful Radio | Shin Jin-ah |
| 2023 | Switch | Soo Hyun |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2005 | Love and Sympathy | Kim Young-joo |
| 2006 | Love Me When You Can | Ha Jung-hwa |
| 2007 | Kimcheed Radish Cubes | Lee Min-do |
| 2008 | Who Are You? | Yang Ji-sook |
| 2009 | Boys Over Flowers | Ha Jae-kyung |
| 2009 | Smile, You | Seo Jung-in |
| 2010 | Sunday Drama Theater: "Lunch Box" | Hee-young |
| 2011 | Midas | Lee Jung-yeon |
| 2012 | Big | Gil Da-ran |
| 2013 | All About My Romance | Noh Min-young |
| 2014 | Cunning Single Lady | Na Ae-ra |
| 2016 | Come Back Mister | Shin Da-hye / Han Hong-nan |
| 2018–2019 | Fates & Furies | Goo Hae-ra |
| 2020 | Once Again | Song Na-hee |
| 2025 | Okay, Let's Get a Divorce | Baek Mi-young |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
| 2023 | Villains | Han Soo-hyun | |

### Television shows

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2019 | The Barber of Seville | Cast member |
| 2021 | Up Grademyself | MC |
| 2021 | 2021 Peace Concert - Heart, Connect | Host |
| 2023 | Oh Eun-young Game | Host |

### Music video appearances

| Year | Song title | Artist |
| 2005 | "널 지켜줄게" | Player |
| 2006 | "Like a Man" | Fly to the Sky |
| 2008 | "Violin + Miss You" | Zia |
| 2008 | "Doll + A Man's Love" | Zia |
| 2009 | "Girls Like Bad Boys" | December |
| 2009 | "I Don't Care" | 2NE1 |

## Theater

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2004 | Taxi Driver | Hwa-yi |
| 2004 | Clumsy People | Yoo Hwa-yi |
| 2007 | The Game of Love and Chance | Silvia |

## Discography

| Title | Year | Album |
| "It Was You" (with Park Shin-hye) | 2010 | Cyrano Agency OST |
| "Again" | 2012 | Wonderful Radio OST |
| "Write the Truth" | 2012 | Wonderful Radio OST |
| "You're My Angel" (with Seo Young and Ahn Mi-na) | 2012 | Wonderful Radio OST |

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
| APAN Star Awards | 2021 | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama | Once Again | Won |
| APAN Star Awards | 2021 | Popular Star Award, Actress | Once Again | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2010 | Best New Actress – Television | Smile, You | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2011 | Best New Actress – Film | Cyrano Agency | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2011 | InStyle Fashionista Award | Lee Min-jung | Won |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2010 | Best New Actress | Cyrano Agency | Won |
| Cine21 Awards | 2010 | Best New Actress | Cyrano Agency | Won |
| Director's Cut Awards | 2010 | Best New Actress | Cyrano Agency | Won |
| Grand Bell Awards | 2010 | Best New Actress | Cyrano Agency | Won |
| Grand Bell Awards | 2010 | Popularity Award, Actress | Cyrano Agency | Won |
| Herald Donga TV Lifestyle Awards | 2012 | Style Icon Award | Lee Min-jung | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2012 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Big | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2020 | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Once Again | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2020 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama | Once Again | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2020 | Netizen Award, Actress | Once Again | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2020 | Best Couple Award (with Lee Sang-yeob) | Once Again | Won |
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | 2010 | Best New Actress | White Night | Won |
| Korea Jewelry Awards | 2010 | Ruby Award | Lee Min-jung | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2014 | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Cunning Single Lady | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2009 | New Star Award | Smile, You | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2011 | Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Planning Drama | Midas | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2019 | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama | Fates & Furies | Nominated |
| Style Icon Awards | 2010 | Style Icon - Movie Actress | Cyrano Agency | Won |
| University Film Festival of Korea | 2010 | Best New Actress | Cyrano Agency | Won |

### State honors

Name of country, year given, and name of honor :
| Country Or Organization | Year | Honor Or Award | Ref. |
| Sungkyunkwan University | 2021 | Sungkyun Artist Award | |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement |
| Forbes | 2011 | Korea Power Celebrity | 29th |
| Forbes | 2012 | Korea Power Celebrity | 29th |
| Forbes | 2013 | Korea Power Celebrity | 37th |